


Clean Slate

by HoshiRaito



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:20:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23925274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoshiRaito/pseuds/HoshiRaito
Summary: Title and tags may change.Cloud finds himself injured and collapses in the park between sector 7 and Wall Market and is found by Coco and he's taken in by the ruling Trio of the market.He becomes the son that Madam M and Sam never had and the protege Andrea has always wanted.
Relationships: Angeal Hewley/Cloud Strife, Genesis Rhapsodos/Cloud Strife, Sephiroth & Cloud Strife, Sephiroth/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair & Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Angeal Hewley/Genesis Rhapsodos/Sephiroth/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 35
Kudos: 390





	Clean Slate

The blond male shivered clutching his thin jacket closer to his body as he stumbled into the park, his body trembling with fatigue.

Spying the slide, he slowly made his way towards it, careful not to put too much weight onto his leg as he went. Wiping the blood from his forehead he pressed his back against the frame and slide down, chocking back a pained cry and gritted his teeth looking up at the lights shining down from the upper plates.

His vision started to blacken when a kweh! Penetrated the silence, heavy footsteps becoming louder before his vision is obscured with yellow and a gentle brush of a beak against his blood soaked hair.

"Wha' had yer running off Coco?" A rough voice called out further away as the blond closed his eyes, submitting to the fatigue as a soft kweh called out as his head fell and pressed against his shoulder.

"Well shit" was the last he heard before losing consciousness.

_____________________________________

The first thing he became aware of was warmth. Warmth and how he was comfortably wrapped in a thick duvet atop of a bed which he knew wasn't where he had fallen asleep. Blinking his eyes to remove the tiredness and allowed them to become focused, he looked up at the wooden ceiling before sitting up.

The furniture in the room was made from aged wood and looked well cared for, the walls painted a light blue and a cerulean rug covered the floor. His small travel bag and cleaned knife sat on the desk beside the bed and a pair of black boots saw on the floor next to them.

Pushing the duvet off him, he gently twisted his body to place his feet upon the floor and marvelling at how he no longer felt any of the pain he had been in and the soft worn cotton shirt and three quarter length trousers he now wore.

Standing up, he gently applied weight to his injured leg and was pleasantly surprised that he no longer had shooting pain running through his nerves. 

There were no personal items in the room and the soft sounds of chocobos ringing through the open window that overlooked a well worn path.

Scratching the back of his neck he bent down and grabbed the boots before he made his way out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. His eyes wandered along the landing, again the flooring made from aged wood, the walls painted an off white and three other light wooden doors were along the passageway. 

He moved quietly, carefully listening for any sudden sounds, still he could hear the soft calls of the chocobos as he made his way down the stairs. His eyes shyly looked around the living room, a lot more personal than the room he had awakened in. Photos were hung from the walls, many of which had chocobos within the frames, a wooden table and chairs made up the dining area and a worn faded maroon sofa sat in front of an ages TV. A large bookcase pressed against the wall overflowing and a small kitchen off to the side. Boots lined against the wall near what the blond presumed to be the front door, the large window allowing a lot of light to flood the room.

Rubbing his arm, he moved further into the comfortable room and heard the faded sound of voices. He peeked his head into the window and saw the back of a man wearing a dark leather hat with a matching waistcoat talking to a dark haired woman in a long black kimono with beautiful golden flower patterns.

Gaining confidence, the boy moved away from the window to crouch down and pull the boots onto his feet before opening the door stopping the two in their conversation as he nervously walked down the steps towards them.

"Yer lookin' a lot better" the man said, turning his body fully to face the blond. The woman looked the blond up and down and covered her small pleased smile with her fan as she watched the interaction.

Stopping before them, the blond shyly looked up at the two and offered them a grateful yet shy smile. "I feel a lot better, thank you" his voice was dry and he coughed to clear his throat. 

The woman's eyes widened before an pleased expression flashed across her face and the man sighed in relief. "Yes, I was quite shocked when Sam here called asking for my assistance" her voice was pleasant as she closed her fan and gestured to the man. "He found you in a dire state young man, any later and I'm not sure you would have made it." 

"What were yer doing out there boy?" The mans voice was rough and the boy vaguely remembered hearing it before he had blacked out.

The blond looked down at the ground biting his lip before looking up at them both. "I-I don't really remember" he mumbled softly. "I-I remember waking up by a big metal hand, my leg was hurt. I had a-a bag on my back? I knew I couldn't stay and I ju-just dragged myself up and along the wall until I go to a...park?" 

He clutched his head as it started to ache, the woman approached him and gently laid a hand on his shoulder and brought the other up slowly to his head as it started to glow green. "There now, no need to strain yourself" she said softly, running her hand through his hair and the ache faded.

He blinked up at her in awe and confusion "how did you do that?"

"Hmm? With Cure of course" she replied stepping away and holding up a green ball to him, "that's why Sam asked for me to look at you, he's useless with materia."

Sam shook his head in amusement and moved to sit on the steps, resting his arm on a bent knee he looked up at the younger male and said "so yer don't remember anything?" 

The blond nodded and looked to the side as he adjusted his stance. A look of understanding shot between Sam and the woman as he carried on "well, we had a look through yer bag and found an old ID but it's not registered to Midgar so yer ain't a local." He stood up and pulled a small wallet from his pocket and held it out for blond to take.

Quickly taking it and flipping it open, he saw a few gil and a plastic ID card of a younger version of himself "Cloud Strife, age fourteen" he mumbled flipping it over and finding nothing else.

"Look, Madam M and I were just gonna meet a friend but yer can come with and we can see what ta do with yer and yer can familiarise yerself with Wall Market. The town of gluttony and depravity, we have some good folk here and some bad 'uns too."

Madam M quickly looped her arm around Clouds and gently guided him down the bath to a large entrance, Sam following close behind them. "We can get you some clothes too but you'll owe me you understand, you're going to have to some chores for me" she stated firmly and smiled when Cloud looked at her in alarm "nothing dangerous dear" she laughed and patted his head with her free hand, "just some messages I need taken to people and the likes." 

Cloud could hear Sam sigh in resignation and he looked over his shoulder at the older male silently asking for his help which Sam pointedly ignored.

Madam M and Sam were kind as they pointed out shops to Cloud and told him that he'd learn the short cuts in no time. They approached a small building on the outskirts of the town which Madam M quickly explained to be her massage parlour and was where they were meeting their friend.

She quickly unlocked the doors and ushered the boy inside before entering herself with Sam following her in.

"Now dear, you sit down and make yourself comfortable and I'll make us some tea. You must be parched" she said kindly guiding Cloud to the back of the building and into her living space. 

The room was filled with golden statues, her furniture black with gold highlighting and was brightly lit. There were two black sofas sitting opposite each other, decorated with comfortable small golden cushions with a small table between them. Cloud started in awe and Madam M guided him to sit down and giggled in amusement at the boy before rushing off into her kitchen. The sound of water pouring faint in the distance.

"Don't get used to the treatment Cloud" Sam joked as he stepped into the room unfazed, "I never get a welcome like this."

Madam M popped her head out of her kitchen and glared at Sam "that's because you're you and Cloud here is adorable" she huffed and went back to finish her task.

Cloud looked at Sam confused who shook his head with an amused grin as he sat down on the sofa opposite him. Both sat listening to to Madam M in the kitchen, the sound of porcelain being set onto a tray, Sam looked at the blond boy sitting stiffly next to him and sighed, bringing twin baby blues to look over to him.

"Kid" his voice soft as if comforting a small animal, "I'll be honest with yer. Yer don't have a lot of options 'cause of yer age and it seems like yer don't have family. Well not round here anyway. I'm gonna make yer a deal, yer do some odd jobs for me and help out with my chocobos and I'll let yer have that room and feed ya until yer old enough to find work. Madam M will have some jobs for yer too most likely." 

Clouds eyes widened in shock as Sam spoke and turned his body towards the older man as he took a deep shaking breath, "why?" He asked, slightly breathless "why would you-?"

"Because sometimes yer need to take a chance on someone" the bearded man said quickly placing his hand on Clouds head and ruffling the spiky blond locks, looking to the side and seeing Madam M look at them both with a soft smile "yer seem like a good kid and yer deserve a chance. But don't think I'm gonna go easy on yer! If yer mess up I'm gonna make sure yer know!"

The smile that he received was blinding and felt some of the dark clinging to him melt away.

Madam M giggled as she carried a tray holding a golden tea pot and four matching teacups and set it down upon the table between them as she sat down opposite Cloud.

She shot Sam a playful pout as they heard the front door open and footsteps approach "you've stolen him from me!" She huffed as she poured the tea ignoring Clouds offer of doing so.

Sam leaned back into the sofa and grinned smugly back at her when the door opened. Cloud looked over at the newcomer as he accepted his tea and his mouth dropped open to Madam Ms amusement.

A beautiful tall man entered the room, his skin clear and a neat goatee, his frame elegantly encased by a form fitting black suit trimmed in gold and revealed his smooth firm torso, his shoulders were caressed with black fur and his shoes shined in the light.

"Oh?" He voice like velvet as he sauntered over to the three and sat down next to the lone female, crossing his legs as he leaned back into the cushions. His elbow on the arm of the sofa as he propped his head onto his hand "and who is this cutie?" 

"Andrea, this is Cloud" Madam M spoke after swallowing her tea, "Cloud, this is Andrea, our friend and the owner of the Honey Bee Inn." 

"Honey Bee Inn?" Cloud repeated quietly before leaning over and offering his hand to Andrea to shake. 

The older man smirked handsomely before taking Clouds hand into his own and pressing a chaste kiss to his knuckles.

"Yes, the Honey Bee Inn makes peoples fantasies become reality and allows the freedom to be who you are" he replied fondly as he watched the adorable blind blush and sip his tea. "I see you've healed up nicely, Madam M has always been talented with materia."

Andrea threw the lady next to him a fond look before reaching for the last cup and took a long sip. 

"Now, shall we talk business?"

_____________________________________

The three of them discussed the annual Coliseum championships, how many rounds they would have as they had the list of entries and how they would group them up to ensure that the crowds wouldn't be bored.

Their discussions went on for a while ranging from the smallest details to the largest. Cloud happily sat there and listened to them and had been making them drinks after Madam M showed him how.

They had handed Cloud some Gil and asked him to go and collect the four of them meals from a nearby cafe, Andrea drawing him a little map with the directions and Sam giving him a list of their orders and telling him to pick anything he wants as well.

So Cloud now found himself carefully looking at the map as he made his way through the crowds carrying a bag of warm goods, careful not to bump into anyone else but apologising quickly when he did in a nervous stutter. The streets were loud he found but charming, the smell of roasted meats and bubbling sauces filled the air along with the faint smell of fumes. It had become dark since he had first made his way through the streets with Sam and Madam M and now lanterns and lights were lit and the lights shone from the plate above. 

He was mindful not to make eye contact with people who looked shady in their leather jackets and no shirts, showing off their thin wiry frames and his eyes caught sight of weapons strapped to their sides.

He heard snippets of peoples conversations, the excitement of the next Coliseum tournament one of the main topics and about a Don.

He was nearing Madam Ms establishment now, and felt the anxious weight start to lift from his shoulders when his shoulder bumped into anothers.

"Oi!" An angry shout and Cloud found his shirt being fisted as he was jerked around to face a tanned man with an sleeveless leather jacket and lacking a shirt. One of the many he had tried so hard to avoid.

"I-I'm really sorry!" Cloud flinched as he looked up at the older male, his head frozen and heart pounding in fear.

"Oh you will be sorry" the man growled, pushing the blond against the wall, his friends laughing behind him. "Well aren't you a new face, don't think I've seen you round here pretty boy" he carried on, his first still clutching Clouds shirt while his other hand moved to his hip to reveal a gun stapped to the side of his hip which Cloud did his best to ignore.

"I-I'm new, I've just moved here" the small male said, tightening his hold on the bag and did his best to smile but it was more of a grimace. "Look, I-I'm very sorry about bumping into you" his voice was soft as he tried to calm the man down.

The man looked down at Cloud, noticing that his clothes seemed too big for his frame. His eyes caught movement to the side and he quickly glance away from the blond to see what it was, his eyes widened slightly before turned back to the baby blue in front of him and scoffed, moving away "you better watch yourself next time kid, people round here aren't nice" he moved to carry on down the street as his friends spoke their displeasure about not roughing the blond up.

"My my Cloud, that's not the way to make friends" Madam Ms voice called out to him, his head whipped round to face her his heart still pounding in his chest as he shrank into himself.

"I-I'm sorry" he mumbled when she walked over to him and ran a reassuring hand through his hair.

"Don't be sorry dear" her voice had taken on a stern note, "you make people like that sorry. Seems like we're going have to train you to handle these situations." Her fingers were gentle under his chin as she lifted his head up to look into his eyes and smiled, similar to how a mother would to her child he thought. 

"Come along now Cloud, you must be starving because I know I am" she looped her arm around his once more and started to move down the street and pulling Cloud into a light conversation. Looking over her shoulder she made eye contact with the lackey who had grabbed the small blond and her face dropped into an icy glare as a warning to stay away her face quickly became pleasant again as she listened to Cloud talk about how he had mainly enjoyed his walk around the small area of the market.

The people around them were giving them space now as a silent understanding quickly moved throughout the market that Cloud was the trios and any funny behaviour towards him wouldn't be tolerated.

**Author's Note:**

> So the relationship is subject to change, at the moment I'm planning on all four Firsts ending up with Cloud but it depends on how the story goes.
> 
> This is my first FF fanfiction and I've not written anything for over five years so please forgive me if my writing isn't up to scratch.
> 
> This will have multiple chapters but for some reason it won't let my put the ?? in. Please let me know if I haven't tagged anything right :)
> 
> Please be aware that this is unbeta'ed.


End file.
